TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (May 4, 2018) – For the 13th time this season, Central Missouri Mules Baseball put up at least 10 runs en route to a 14-5 series opening win over the Northeastern State RiverHawks Friday afternoon on the road. With the win, Central Missouri is now 33-13 overall and 24-10 in MIAA play.
Play-by-Play
• It did not take long for the Mules to grab the lead.
Travis Able gave UCM the 1-0 lead with a solo home run down the right field line in the top of the first.
• A pair of RBI single singles in the second from
Donovan Ditto and
Zak Whalin pushed the Mules lead to 3-0.
Mason Janvrin made it 4-0 with a sacrifice bunt which allowed Ditto to score after a RiverHawks error.
• The RiverHawks (25-22, 16-18 MIAA) responded with three runs scored in the bottom of the third. The first two runs came on RBI singles from Conner Reynolds and Zack Henderson, while Erick Espinosa added the third on a sacrifice fly.
• The Mules got those three runs back in the fourth. Able doubled to left center to score Whalin.
Erik Webb then hit a two-run opposite field homer past right field to give UCM an 8-3 lead.
• Four runs scored in the top of the fifth opened up UCM's lead to 12-3. It started when Whalin and Janvrin were both walked and Whalin crossed home plate after a NSU error allowed Able to get on base.
• Webb drove in Janvrin with a single to left field to make it 10-3, Mules.
Collin Nevil was walked to get on and Webb was plated home on a
John Fairchild RBI single. Nevil the scored and Fairchild advanced on a balk to make it a 12-3 Mules lead.
• Espinosa drove in the RiverHawks fourth run with a RBI double to right center to score Jaxon Phipps.
•
Harrison Schnurbusch got the run back immediately for the Mules in the top of the sixth with a leadoff home run to left field. The Mules led 13-4 after six innings.
• Blake Vandegrift scored the final NSU run with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh.
• Able pushed the final lead back to nine runs in the top of the ninth. Janvrin hit a triple to right center and got home thanks to Able's RBI groundout.
•
Evan Rathburn took to the hill in the bottom of the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning to give the Mules the series opening win.
Mules Stat Leaders
• Able collected three hits and scored two runs, while totaling three RBI. He also had a home run.
• Webb also had three RBI on the day and finished 2-6, with two runs scored and a home run.
• Schnurbusch went 2-4 to go along with a home run. He scored two runs and had two RBI.
•
Luke Lucas had a solid start on the mound going five full innings. He struck out five batters, while allowing four runs (all earned) on five hits.
•
Dimitri Frank worked three complete on the hill out of the bullpen and had four strikeouts, while giving up just one earned run.
For the RiverHawks
• No player had more than one hit for NSU. Espinosa was 1-3, with two RBI.
• Reynolds went 1-4, with a RBI and a run scored.
• Henderson also finished 1-4 and drove in a run.
• Trevor Smith worked the most innings on the hill with 4.1. Both he and starting pitcher Jonathan Smithey had four strikeouts.
• Smithey suffered the loss on the mound to go to 2-2. He allowed seven runs (four earned) on seven hits in 3.1 innings pitched.
News and Notes
• The Mules are now 13-0 this season when they score 10-plus runs in a game. They improve to 14-4 when holding opponents between 3-5 runs.
• Janvrin now has 21 multiple hits games this season to lead the club. He is the only UCM player with at least 20.
• Webb's three RBI puts him at 14 multiple RBI games this season, which is now the most on the team. It is just his second such game with three RBI.
• Lucas has now totaled at least four strikeouts in each of the last eight games he has appeared or started in. He has 46 strikeouts on the year and is four away from 50.
• The Mules are now 51-37 in true road games under
Kyle Crookes.
Up Next
• Game two of the series. The Mules and RiverHawks are back on the diamond Saturday afternoon with the first pitch schedule for 2 p.m.
